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Pineapple in Caramel with Asian Pepper and Vanilla Yoghurt

Chinese Sichuan peppercorns add a tongue-tingling sensation to this dish of caramelised pineapple spiked with rum (or apple juice for the teetotallers).

By bbcfood · From Open Recipes · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Star anise and vanilla work together. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and 84 recipes mention both. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓

The recipe

Serves 4
Prep30 min
Cook10 min

Ingredients

Contains: milk (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)

Directions

Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.

  1. Peel the pineapple, cut away the eyes, quarter it lengthwise, cut out the core and slice the flesh into thick wedges.

  2. Split the vanilla pod lengthwise, scrape the seeds into the Greek yoghurt and stir well. Keep the empty pod. Cover and refrigerate the yoghurt.

  3. Put the Sichuan pepper and star anise in a dry pan over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, shaking often, until fragrant. Set aside.

  4. Spread the sugar in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat. Leave it undisturbed until it melts, then swirl the pan gently until it turns a deep golden amber, about 5 minutes.

  5. Remove the pan from the heat. Carefully pour in the rum or apple juice, as it will spit and bubble. Return to low heat and stir until the caramel is smooth.

  6. Add the pineapple wedges, toasted spices and the vanilla pod to the caramel. Simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes, turning the pineapple once, until warmed through and softened.

  7. Remove and discard the star anise and vanilla pod. Spoon the warm pineapple and caramel over the chilled vanilla yoghurt and serve at once.

By bbcfood. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.

  1. Star anise + vanillatop 4% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapmoderate
    Mentioned together84 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).

  2. Pineapple + rumtop 1% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together451 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

  3. Rum + vanillatop 2% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together727 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  4. Pineapple + vanillatop 2% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together911 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

  5. Sugar + vanillatop 3% of all pairs
    Aroma overlaplow
    Mentioned together35,031 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Sugar and vanilla share little aroma chemistry, yet 35,031 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Flavor stand-ins for the star anise

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pineapple, sugar, rum, pepper, vanilla):

  1. Cinnamonbetter flavor fit
  2. Peppermintbetter flavor fit
  3. Gingerbetter flavor fit
  4. Star anisethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pineapple, sugar, rum, pepper, vanilla. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).